Headrest



Aug.3, 1948. E 5, MARTIN y 2,446,483

HEADREST Filed July 31, 194e Cinq/naga Patented Aug. 3, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEADREST Frank G. Martin, Huntington, W. Va. Application July 31, 1946, Serial No. 687,357

3 Claims. l

This invention relates to a head rest which is particularly intended for use in beauty parlors and like establishments to rest or support the head of a person during the process of hair drying.

Several types of apparatus for drying hair on the human head have been developed. My invention does not relate to such driers, and its use is not restricted to any particular type of drier, but by way of explanation, it is pointed out that the most frequently used driers invo-lve a hood or canopy provided with a head receiving opening in the bottom thereof. The

head is placed in this opening and means ,are

provided within the drier for subjecting the hair to heat and a dryingY action. The hair drying process is time consuming and in the past has been an uncomfortable ordeal. It is not possible to use conventional head rests for the reason that such head rests would disarrange the coiffure, would shield part of the hair from the drying action, and would interfere with the proper positioning of the head in the drier. It has therefore been necessary for persons undergoing hair drying to sit upright during the drying period. This position is tiresome and is made particularly so by the fact that movement of the head must be limited and controlled to prevent the hair or portions of the head from coming in contact with heated portions of the drier.

The objects of my invention are to provide a head rest which can be used Without disarranging the coiffure, which does not shield the hair from the drying action, which does not interfere with the proper positioning of the head in the drier, and which permits normal turning of the head Without danger of contacting the heated portions of the drier. Other objects of the invention are speciiically referred to hereinafter or will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation View of a head rest constructed in accordance with my invention and showing, in dotted lines, a portion of a chair to which the head rest is attached, as well as a portion of a hair drier;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the head rest shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the :arrows on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The head rest comprises a base member which is designated generally by the reference numeral 5, and which is of arcuate shape, as best illustrated in Fig. 2. The base member 5 is formed of complementary track forming portions Gand 1, which cooperate to form an arcuate track Ail, which is in the form of a slot between the portions 6 and l. The members 6 and 'l are shown as joined at their lower edges by welding, as indicated at 9. The members 6 and 1 are provided with anges IIJ and II, respectively, near their midportions. These flanges are secured to a rigid slat I2 by welding, as indicated at I3. The slat I2 is received in a conventional clamp I4 of a beauty chair I5.

The track forming members 6 and y'l, which constitute the walls of the track, are shaped to provide a depression or recess in each side wall which extends the full length of the track. The recess in the member 6 is designated by the reference numeral I6 and the comparable recess in the member 1 is designated by the reference numeral Il.

A slide member I8, also of arcuate shape, but of lesser length than the track 8, is provided with a tongue I9, which is received in the track 8. At spaced points along the tongue I9 there are apertures 20, and each of these apertures is provided with a ball 2l. The balls 2I are of a diameter greater than the thickness of the tongue I9, and they extend into the recesses I6 and I'l in the side walls of the track 8. The balls thus function to prevent withdrawal of the tongue I9 from the track 8 and they also pro vide anti-friction means for movement of the tongue I9 along the track 8.

The slide member I8 carries resilient wire ngers 22, which are disposed at spaced points along the slide member. These fingers are preferably of relatively stiif steel wire so that they yield only slightly while supporting the head. The fingers are provided with head contacting portions 23, which are shaped to conform to the contour of the back of an average human head.

Each end of the track 8 is provided with a stop 24 for the purpose of limiting the extent of movement of the slide member I8. The stop 24 may be secured in place by means of rivets 25 or other suitable means.

A person Whose hair is to be dried may occupy the chair I5, to which the head rest is attached, and may rest the head against the head contacting portions 23 of the fingers 22. These head contacting portions conform to the contour of the back of the head and as long as there is no relative movement between the head and the fingers 22, there will be no disarrangement of the coiiiure. A drier 26 of any suitable type is positioned over the head of the occupant of the chair and is appropriately adjusted. It is not necessary that the occupant of the chair sit upright. The drier 26 is adjustable to various positions, and the chair I5 may be tilted to permit the occupant to assume a reclining or semireclining position. vSince the head contacting portionsf123-of the fingers 22 conform tofthe contour of the head, they do not interfere with the adjustment of the drier 26. These lingers do not present any appreciable shield between the `hair and the drier.

The track 8, the slide member t8, andtheshead contacting portions 23 of the vlingers 22 all lie in arcs which have a common center at the point designated by the reference numeral 12d. .This point 21 lies on the normal axis of turning of the ,headzotthe occupantof ,theehair @whenthat occugparitdsin anormalposition. .Becauseof thisiact, ,there ,is noA appreciable lateral, `forward A`or .rear- :ward .displacement .of the yhead ,during turning. flfhisfeature. of theinventiontisimportantln .that it preventsthehead from contactingheatedportionsfrthedrier, .while at thesame-.timepermit- `nginatu-ral turning. of ,the head.

I .have .illustrated .and described .what -.I =now consider to -Joe the ,preferred embodiment .of my A.

. invention, but .it will .be obvious `:that various ,modiiicationsmay,be.resorted to withoutdcparting .from the @fundamental `aspects of .theinvenftlhasvdenedby .the ,following claims.

Having thus described.my,invention, Iclaim:

:1. ,A rheadrest ,for supporting fthe .head `of a ,-11,erson durine `:hair .drying .comprising na base member provided .withmeans for attachment .to .-aichairrand ,havingatrack .which denes an arc, Aa .slide member secured tosaid .track .for move- Cil ment therealong, said slide member being provided with a plurality of fingers having head contacting portions for supporting the head of a person seated in the chair, said slide member being arranged to move along said arcuate track during normal turning of the persons head without relative movement between the head contacting portions of said lingers and the head.

2. A head rest as defined in claim 1 in which sadngers areresilientwires.with.the head contacting portionsfthereof arranged yto conform to the contour of the back of an average human head.

,3. A head rest as dened in claim 1 in which said track is an elongated arcuate slot in said =ba,se'-,fmemberand said slide member is provided with a tonguexextending into said slot, each side -wall Aof `said slot being provided with an elongatedyrecess, said tongue having apertures therethrough and balls in said apertures extending into saidrecesses .to provide ,anti-,friction means Awbetween said ntongue `and said base member rand .t0 prei/.81.1.15 Withdrawal of ,saidtongue from :said

FRANK G. MARTIN.

REFERENCES 'CITED The v,following `references :are for record in :the -le .of this 5patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date .1,431,110 Frornhart 0st, y 3, .1922 .2,150,720 .Mullooly `14, ,1 939 `2,306,334: .Costas 1 "Dec.,22l, fl-942 FOREIGN "PATENTS Nuniber Country Ditte 528,292 .Germany June ,27. 19:31 

